A helping heart
by Golden Seeker 91
Summary: A 6th year Draco and Hermione fan fiction.


Draco and Hermione 6th year.

Draco ran out of the room of requirement and down the corridor holding his left arm across his stomach. His shoulders shook as he fought back sobs and the want to vomit all over the flagstones of the 6th floor corridor. He couldn't breathe. Revolution and fear closed up his throat making him gag. He ran into the nearest bathroom he could find and bolted the door behind him. He stood still for a moment and listened, making sure no one else was in the bathroom, and then he flattened himself against the door.

He pressed his palms to his eyes trying to breathe slowly but he couldn't, whenever he closed his eyes he saw those red eyes burning into his own, making him do awful things. He saw the small bird in his mind's eye, laying dead and cold at his feet and what little control he had gained over his stomach left. He lurched forward and threw up into the nearest toilet. He retched for a few minutes' uncontrollably, tears welling in his eyes from sadness and pain bringing up only acid that burned his stomach and throat. He eventually got control and curled over, his head on his knees and there he stayed his eyes watering, shivering and shaking.

He heard running footsteps outside and the door of the bathroom being pushed against the lock.

"Draco," a hushed whisper hissed from the other side of the door. "Draco, it's me, let me in."

Draco didn't move. The door was pushed again followed by a muttered curse. A faint wind ruffled his hair and a soft whooshing sound reached his ears and then Hermione was there, kneeling next to him her hair tickling the nape of his neck, one hand lightly brushing his spine, the other brushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"Draco, what's wrong? Please tell me."

Draco just shook his head. Hermione sighed.

"Okay then."

Hermione put her back to the door. She didn't talk, she just sat with him while his breathing calmed and his stomach stopped trying to fight its way out through his throat.

He looked up and saw Hermione staring consernidly at him. His heart sank. He looked right at her making sure he studied her eyes for what would be the last time.

"Go now. You have to go Hermione." He whispered urgently.

Hurt and confusion crossed her face and he resisted the urge to smack his palm against his head. Now he had upset probably the only person in the world he cared about.

"What? Why?"

Draco couldn't breathe again.

"I can't." He huffed, shaking his head. "Please, I can't tell you, just go!"

Draco could see tears in Hermione's eyes now and that made him sob. He looked away so she wouldn't see.

"Please."

"No." Draco looked up at her. His eyes pleaded with her to listen to him. "No." She said again. "Not till you give me a valid reason why."

Draco sighed and fumbled with the buttons of his left cuff. Sweaty, trembling hands slipping over them, his breath came faster as he struggled with the tiny buttons till Hermione reached over and took his hand, unfastening the buttons for him. He rolled the sleeve up to his elbow and Hermione's eyes went wide, she gasped and then recovered herself.

Draco found his voice before Hermione found hers.

"Don't you see? This is why you have to go. If you don't Voldemort will find out about you and can use you to get to me. If I do anything wrong he punishes me by hurting what makes me weak. This morning I failed to kill a bird, so Voldemort made me watch as he tortured it to death. Don't you understand? If he finds out how I feel about you and I fail again he will hurt you or kill you. I would rather not see you at all than see you lying before me hurt or worse. So please Hermione. Just, go!"

Hermione took his arm, rolling the sleeve back down, covering the mark there.

"This is only a mark. It means no more to me than me being a mud blood means to you." Draco winced.

"Don't call youes-"

"What?" Hermione demanded. "Don't call myself mud blood? I don't care about being a mud blood. I don't care about you being a death eater. You are a good person and no mark will change that, not to me. You said it yourself, you couldn't even kill that bird, and if you were a death eater you wouldn't hesitate. Just let me help you."

Draco stared at her. He had thought she would hate him when she found out what he was. Some of the pressure in his chest listened.

"Hermione, if you help me he will kill you or make me kill you. If you want to help me leave now and don't turn back."

"Not gonna happen!" She grabbed his wrists and pulled him, none too gently, to his feet. "I will not leave you, ever, have you got that? We will figure out a way to keep you safe, you can come live with me over the summer. I will be your secret keeper; I know how to perform the spell. No one will be able to find you. You will be safe. Please, just let me help!"

Draco looked at her between the strands of long sweaty hair that had fallen into his eyes, a small spark of hope flickering to life in his eyes. He could disappear. Forget those cold red eyes. Live a normal life in the muggle world with Hermione. Live with Hermione. His face broke into a grin. He said again crushing Hermione to him. Hermione smiled up at him and roped her arms around his neck and before Draco knew what was happening Hermione had kissed him. She quickly broke away looking shocked.

"Just promise me you will let me help you." She mumbled looking away.

"Okay." He said hoarsely. Then he laughed. "Okay."

"Same time same place?" She asked, still not looking at him.

"See you there." He grinned as Hermione bolted from the room.

He rinsed his face with water and collected his thoughts before he went to his next lesson. He was still scared, but he could see an end to it how, with Hermione. He left the bathroom, his cocky grin everyone knew safely plastered back on his face.


End file.
